Rally to Remember

Trailing by two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, St. Augustine rallies to beat Nease, 6-5

HAYS CARLYONhays.carlyon@staugustinerecord.com

Published Friday, March 16, 2007

After a 1-9 start to the season, St. Augustine High's softball team needed a spark.

Making school history against an arch rival should provide one.

Led by Ashley Pacetti and Megan MacFarlane, the Yellow Jackets rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat visiting Nease 6-5 on Thursday.

The victory was St. Augustine's first in school history over the Panthers.

"I coached at Episcopal and have gone to final fours and this win rates right up there with those," first-year SAHS coach B.G. Gaster said.

"This will be a springboard for our team. This team needed this win and this confidence booster. Our kids wanted this one really bad and weren't going to be denied."

Pacetti delivered the win with a walk-off, two-RBI single with two outs and the bases loaded.

Facing a full count, the sophomore blistered a pitch from Nease's Ashley Ceithaml that skipped off the ground before ricocheting hard off the shoulder of Nease's shortstop.

The ball squirted into the outfield, allowing Nicole Baran and Kaylin Sloat to score, sending the Yellow Jackets dug out into euphoria.

"It was nerve-wracking because I haven't really been hitting well," Pacetti said. "This was a big turnaround for me. When I got to second base, I realized we had won the game."

Pacetti also came up big on the rubber, finishing the game with six strikeouts.

"This was a very clutch performance by Ashley," Gaster said.

MacFarlane got the Yellow Jackets going early, blasting a pitch that easily cleared the left fielder's head on its way to the wall. MacFarlane's shot brought home two runners to give SAHS a 2-0 lead. She ended up with a double and advanced to third on a throwing error.

After demonstrating her power, MacFarlane showed off her smarts.

She sprinted for home after Nease catcher Victoria Rosenblum threw to first base in an attempt to pick off a runner. MacFarlane easily beat the throw to add a third run to St. Augustine's total.

"When the ball left my bat, I thought there was a chance the outfielder might catch it," MacFarlane said. "When I scored, I saw her throw to first and just bolted. I knew we needed as many runs as we could get."

MacFarlane's swipe of home proved vital in the game's outcome.

"This is such an awesome feeling to beat Nease for the first time," MacFarlane said. "In the seventh inning, we kept our heads straight and stayed in the game. Ashley Pacetti is awesome and this is an amazing feeling."

Nease (6-7, 1-4) countered with a run in the fourth on an RBI double by Lindsey Franco. Then, the Panthers erupted in the sixth, scoring three runs to take a 4-3 lead.

Clare Wamsley spanked a pitch down the first baseline that got lodged in the corner of the fence, resulting in a three-run, inside-the-park home run.

St. Augustine (2-9, 2-4) would find itself in a deeper hole after Nease scored on an error in the top of the seventh.

"We haven't been in many games like this, and I think this will be a good experience for us," Nease coach Brantley Mack said.

"This is a tough loss, but there's nothing that our girls did wrong. St. Augustine just stepped up. I'm proud of my team."